Montgomery County group wants ‘visionary leader’ to ease traffic congestion

December 29, 2014 4:47 am12/29/2014 04:47am

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WASHINGTON — A group of transit, environmental and business leaders is lobbying Montgomery County Executive Isiah “Ike” Leggett to get a new transportation director to help get the county out of gridlock. In a Dec.…

WASHINGTON — A group of transit, environmental and business leaders is lobbying Montgomery County Executive Isiah “Ike” Leggett to get a new transportation director to help get the county out of gridlock.

In a Dec. 23 letter, leaders from The Action Committee for Transit, the 2014 Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors, the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, The Sierra Club and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association wrote to Leggett, calling for an end to “by the book engineering” and a more “flexible” approach to urbanized areas of the county.

Bethesda Now reports the letter comes as Art Holmes Jr. retires and an acting director of transportation has been named.

The letter from the five organizations characterizes Holmes’ tenure at the top of the transportation department as “fruitful,” but makes clear that they feel a new way of cutting through clogged commutes is necessary.

The letter from the group calls for “a visionary leader” and cites New York, Chicago and the District of Columbia as models where “strong leadership can bring transformation.”